Chapter 31: 31. Chapter 31: Magic Potion

Chapter 31: Potion

Dunn Smith's gray eyes stared directly into Klein's, remaining silent for a full minute.

Under the pressure of such silence and such a gaze, Klein did not shrink back or avert his eyes; he looked back firmly.

"You should understand that once you consume a potion, there is no chance for regret," Dunn finally spoke again, his voice low and devoid of emotion.

Klein smiled faintly and said, "I know, but I respect the voice of my heart."

First, "Sleepless" did not fit his needs, and based on the descriptions, the "Audience" from the "Tarot Club" didn't either. As for other Beyonder pathways, he didn't know when he would have the chance to encounter them, so there was no urgency to wait. By the same logic, "Corpse Collector" was ruled out, leaving only "Secrets Supplicant" and "Seer" as options.

Given the premise that Sequence potions were equally dangerous, the fact that he could not obtain more information, and the reality that both "Secrets Supplicant" and "Seer" met his requirements, it was enough to tip the scales of his heart—regardless of whether Emperor Roselle had written those notes on a whim or if he truly regretted not choosing one of "Apprentice," "Marauder," or "Seer."

Furthermore, from his notes, he could see that as long as one could grasp the true essence of "digestion" and "acting," the negative side effects of the potion could be minimized as much as possible. As for those maddening whispers and illusory temptations that lead to corruption and insanity—even without becoming a Beyonder, he had already come into contact with them!

"Alright." Dunn Smith stood up, picked up his tall black top hat, and spoke as he put it on, "Follow me underground."

Klein nodded and performed a gentlemanly salute in gratitude.

*Tap, tap, tap.* The two descended, their footsteps echoing through the silent, vast staircases and corridors.

Klein suddenly felt a surge of nervousness and spoke to break the silence: "Captain, you said that consuming a potion doesn't grant immediate mystical knowledge, but only the qualification to learn and master it. So, where does the initial mystical knowledge come from? Did the ancients figure it out bit by bit at the risk of their lives, or is it from somewhere else?"

Every time he came underground, he felt the air was quite fresh, clearly indicating excellent ventilation, yet in this environment, an occasional gust of wind was enough to make one shudder.

Dunn glanced at him, his gray eyes exceptionally deep in the dim light.

He answered plainly, "First, there is the exploration, summarization, and improvement you mentioned. Second, there is the grace of the gods. Third... ha, those dangerous 'whispers' that others cannot hear are not always mindless, insane ramblings. Occasionally, occasionally they do tell things regarding the mystical. But as far as I know, everyone who has truly listened to them—and listened for a long time—has, without exception, gone mad or degenerated into a monster. Of course, we must thank them; the notes they left behind are precious treasures in the field of mysticism."

*A human lab rat, then...* As the chill of the underground seeped in, Klein suddenly shuddered.

*After my 'luck-changing ritual' turned into 'friendship magic,' will it always be accompanied by those crazy and terrifying 'whispers'? Will it bring the same influence?*

Upon reaching a crossroads, Dunn did not proceed toward the "Chanis Gate" nor turn toward the "Weapon, Material, and Literature Repository." Instead, he led Klein toward the St. Selena Cathedral on the left.

Halfway there, he paused, as if something had triggered him, and opened a hidden door.

"This is our Nighthawks squad's 'Alchemy Lab.' I will have Old Neil go to the Chanis Gate to collect the formula and corresponding materials for the 'Seer' potion. Ha, you're in luck; the Goddess protects you. There should be two sets of 'Seer' materials left, otherwise, you would have had to wait a long time." Dunn pointed to the room inside. "Wait here, and then observe the entire process of Old Neil concocting the potion. This is the most fundamental aspect of mysticism. Um, don't touch anything inside; they are either very dangerous, very expensive, or both."

At this point, Dunn added as he had before

"By the way, I forgot one thing. Your becoming a Beyonder is based on the need to face danger and search for notes; that only accounts for part of the credit. Therefore, you cannot become a formal squad member for the time being. You remain in a clerical position, with the corresponding salary, and you will continue to do the tasks I previously assigned. You will simply have to follow Old Neil to learn a lot of mystical knowledge in your spare time. Arrange the schedule yourselves."

"Understood." Aside from a slight resentment over not getting a raise, Klein agreed with everything else.

According to Dunn, after consuming the potion, there was still a process of learning and mastering it. Becoming a formal member immediately and participating in supernatural missions was a way to ensure he wouldn't know how to spell the word "death."

Dunn turned around, walked two steps toward the crossroads, then suddenly turned back.

"One more thing."

*I knew it...* Klein had already grown accustomed to the Captain's "style."

"We have made some gains from our previous actions against the Secret Order," Dunn said with a normal expression. "In the short term, they shouldn't dare to provoke us again, but do not be careless. We cannot yet confirm the importance of that Antigonus family notebook to them. From our findings, they do indeed preserve certain ancient customs that can be confirmed to be related to the Solomon Empire and the fallen nobles of that era."

"I understand. Thank you, Captain," Klein said with a sigh of relief.

This was also one of the reasons why he was unwilling to wait and couldn't wait to seize the opportunity to become a Beyonder!

Watching Dunn walk away, and confirming he wouldn't turn back to add anything more, Klein walked slowly into the alchemy lab.

The room contained several long tables equipped with test tubes, droppers, scales, and beakers, looking very much like the chemistry labs he had seen in his previous life, only simpler and more ancient.

In addition, there were large iron pots, black wooden spoons, transparent crystal balls, and strange symbols like dark holy emblems scattered everywhere, lending the room an air of mystery.

Klein looked around with great interest but did not foolishly touch anything.

After a while, footsteps approached. Old Neil entered carrying a small silver box with intricate patterns. He was still wearing his classical black robe, which was out of step with the era, and a matching wide-brimmed felt hat.

"Little fellow, I didn't expect you to choose 'Seer'." As Old Neil set down the silver box, he swept a glance at Klein with his slightly cloudy, dark red eyes. "Just as much character as I had back in the day—not following the crowd. Not bad. Light these gas lamps and close the hidden door."

"Alright." Suppressing a tremor, Klein lit the gas lamps one by one, allowing the dim light to reclaim the room.

*Click, click, click.* The hidden door closed. He turned to stand beside the white-haired Old Neil, whose wrinkles were deep around his eyes and mouth, and saw him brushing a large black iron pot with several strange, tied twigs.

"The concoction of Sequence potions is very simple—at least for Sequence 7 and below. No special flames are needed, no extra rituals, not even incantations or the involvement of one's own spirituality. You just need to add the materials in the exact order and quantity specified in the formula, give it a stir, and you're done." Old Neil smiled, his wrinkles blooming like flowers.

"Really?" Klein asked back, quite surprised.

*It sounds as simple as my 'luck-changing ritual'...*

*Hiss, thinking about it is a bit terrifying...*

"Perhaps this is the grace of the gods. Praise the Goddess." Old Neil drew a circle on his chest in a very unrefined manner.

Then, he opened the silver box and took out a roll of ancient-looking parchment.

As the yellowish-brown parchment unfurled inch by inch, words appeared on it. Klein peered closely and found it was the Hermes script he was familiar with.

The words were written in ink as red as blood, appearing as if they were still flowing, but beyond that, there was no other extraordinary sensation.

"'Seer': 100ml pure water + 13 drops of Nightshade juice + 7 pieces of Gold Mint leaves..." Klein muttered the contents of the formula to himself, but the subsequent part was obscured by Old Neil's elbow.

"Pure water is water that has been repeatedly distilled. Luckily, I made some earlier, so there's no need to waste time." As Old Neil explained, he familiarly picked up a large, sealed glass bottle with graduations from the long table.

He opened the lid and casually poured about 100ml of pure water into the large iron pot.

Klein didn't dare ask questions, fearing he might interfere with the concoction; after all, he was the one who had to drink the resulting potion.

"13 drops of Nightshade juice. This can be extracted into essential oil for storage first." Old Neil took a small brown bottle from the silver box and, using a dropper, easily dripped 13 drops into the iron pot.

A faint, soothing fragrance wafted out, and Klein's mood unconsciously became peaceful.

"7 pieces of Gold Mint leaves..." Old Neil picked up a tin canister with silver patterns, opened the lid, and used his bare hands to pluck a few leaves, sprinkling them into the iron pot. A fresh yet stimulating scent could be faintly detected.

"4, 5, 6, 7. Just right." Old Neil chuckled and glanced at the potion formula on the parchment. "3 drops of Belladonna juice. You can't just drink this stuff randomly; it will paralyze your whole body and make you die stiff. In ancient times, it was the best choice for suicide."

*I'm not stupid...* Klein grumbled inwardly.

Old Neil changed droppers and dripped the Belladonna juice into the iron pot, creating a strange scent that cleared the mind.

"9 grams of Dragon Blood Grass powder." Unhurriedly, Old Neil reached into the silver box and lifted a transparent test tube containing powder as dark as iron.

He used a beaker and scales to weigh out 9 grams of powder, casually poured it into the iron pot, and stirred it twice with a black wooden spoon. Klein watched with a trembling heart, feeling that it all seemed rather unreliable.

"Actually, these initial materials are all auxiliary. Adding a little more or less won't affect the final result. Should I add a bit more?" Old Neil joked, "The remaining two are the key. The amounts can be slightly off, but they cannot deviate too much, otherwise your 'promotion' will fail. Hmm, their amounts absolutely cannot be too much, even by a tiny bit. Otherwise, after you consume it, you'll have to seek treatment for mental issues—and some have even died directly."

Klein immediately tensed up, watching Old Neil take a black glass bottle from the silver box.

"Lava Octopus blood, 10ml. This octopus is an extraordinary species with obvious mutations, covered in mystical symbols. Its blood decomposes rapidly under sunlight and loses its special properties, so it must be stored in opaque materials." Old Neil's tone was no longer light. He moved quickly and carefully, using a test tube to take 10ml of blood.

The blood was as blue as the sky, occasionally bubbling with illusory foam, as if connected to the spiritual world.

"Pour in the blood from the test tube. Don't worry about the residue on the walls; that's to prevent overdose," Old Neil said in a low voice.

As soon as the azure blood entered the pot and touched the previous liquid, a splashing sound immediately erupted from within. The surrounding light turned a pale blue, giving Klein a strange, distant yet familiar sensation.

It felt like an experience from within a womb, a sensation that made his soul feel as if it were climbing higher.

"The last item, Star Crystal, 50 grams." Old Neil's voice rang in Klein's ear, bringing him back to reality and making him look back at the long table.

In the old man's hand was a piece of crystal that was extremely pure, but it had a gelatinous consistency, like jelly on Earth, lacking sufficient hardness.

Under the pale blue light, it reflected points of brilliance, as if a dazzling starry sky were hidden within it.

"This is the best material for making divination crystals... a little less, to account for error." Old Neil weighed and cut the crystal with a patterned silver knife.

*Pure water + Nightshade + Gold Mint leaves + Belladonna juice + Dragon Blood Grass + Lava Octopus blood + Star Crystal = Seer...* At this moment, Klein involuntarily recalled the formula.

With the preparations complete, Old Neil dropped several small pieces of "Star Crystal" into the large iron pot.

*Sizzle!*

Illusory mist instantly rose, shrouding the alchemy lab in a haze.

Within this mist, Klein felt as if he could see the starry sky, and as if he could feel the gaze of certain invisible existences.

A few seconds later, the mist dissipated. Old Neil used the black wooden spoon to scoop a thick, deep blue liquid from the iron pot. The liquid possessed strange properties, clinging together and refusing to separate, such that not a single drop remained in the black iron pot.

The deep blue liquid was poured into an opaque cup, and Old Neil pointed at it.

"There you go. Your 'Seer' potion."